Entrepreneurs & Start-Ups - Legal Updates

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The tech sector is booming. We live in a time of the mega private business in which the likes of Uber and Airbnb are extending their lives as privately held businesses by delaying public offerings. The venture capital asset class is more buoyant than ever and now includes atypical investors such as hedge and sovereign wealth funds who seek a piece of the action. Governments globally are also trying to attract innovation and tech talent using all manner of inducements, from tax breaks to immigration. So, are we living in the golden age of tech or is the frothy venture capital market a sign of a bubble reminiscent of that which led to the dot com bust of 1999/2000, and why does this matter to entrepreneurs? ...

This month’s budget announcement didn’t herald the end of Entrepreneurs relief as some had speculated but did make a number of changes which will mean that share ownership structures involving different classes of share attracting different rights to income and distribution will need to be reviewed to make sure that the holders of those shares still qualify for the relief....

Co-working is not a new concept, nor is it a fleeting craze.
Last year, flexible work spaces made up over 20% of all commercial office leases in central London. This trend is not confined to the capital either; take-up of flexible work spaces in cities outside London increased 275% from 2016 to 2017. ...

Angel investing is by its nature a risky endeavour. Every investor naturally has an overarching goal to minimise risk and maximise returns. In the context of angel investing, ensuring that the relevant elements needed to achieve this are in place is easier said than done. ...

Last week, the Hurun Report and Visa Consulting Group suggested that the UK slipped down the list of desirable destinations for high net worth Chinese investors, putting the country behind the USA and Canada to third place....

The Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa route is for non-European migrants who want to invest in the UK by setting up or taking over and being actively involved in the running of a business or businesses here. The UK is one of the most open economies in the world and applicants can generally invest in most types of businesses but there are some exceptions....

Whether Brexit eventually becomes the triumph we are all now hoping for or whether Brexit is a term forever doused in disaster, the interim uncertainty of what Brexit means is harming the UK’s fastest growing industry and potentially in an irreparable way....

Small, agile, businesses frequently report that legal services are too expensive and too opaque, and it is no surprise that these businesses end up turning to existing sources of advice in an attempt to deal with legal problems. ...

When you are a start-up, contracts and intellectual property protections are not, understandably, at the forefront of your mind. However, protecting your ideas and creations is just as important as getting your business off the ground....

Start-ups often believe that their business may not be susceptible to phishing attacks compared to the likes of giant corporates; however these attacks during growth stage could be lethal to the success of the business going forward. ...